Yeti crawler?

[Grandcanyonmx]

I have always wondered, would a yeti make a good crawler if you locked the front diff? Would it out crawl a wraith or scx10 or my current summit? I want to get a real crawler but don't know what would be the best?

[Ty1330]

Trailing, they seem to be on par if not a hair better on non technical trails compared to wraiths and scx10's, but it would not rock crawl better. It's more of a Swiss Army knife vehicle than a full on designated rock crawl rig. I personally think besides the front indie suspension, the main chassis is just too low and wide to slink around rocks. That being said I'm sure someone out there has set it up to run moderately successful but it would be wiser to run a wraith/bomber/etc if you are looking to crawl.

[amped up]

As Ty has pointed out, the Yeti is not a crawler. It's closer defined as a rock bouncer but you would be better off looking other platforms to crawl with. The Yeti is a strong basher when set up right and it can handle rocks as needed but I wouldn't buy it for the sole purpose of crawling. Hell it wouldn't surprise me if the summit could out crawl it.

[Grandcanyonmx]

So would a ax10 or a wraith would be much better

[amped up]

IMO ax10/scx10 would be a better choice over the Wraith for pure crawling but both are very capable vehicles. This is only true if you are looking to stay scale. There are some awesome custom/comp crawlers that would make either machine look like a...well... a toy. LOL

[OSRC]

Depends on a lot of things. My modded Twin Hammers goes places my SCX10's can't since the CG is so much lower. Have to drive it different due to the IFS and low slung nature, but it's very capable. Imagine the Yeti would be similar, just on a larger scale.

[imthatguy]

I wouldn't recommend it for crawling. I did my best to convert it, and while it performed admirably, it couldn't hold a candle to the trucks that were set up specifically. I do like it locked up front, but steering is severely compromised and that only makes it worse. I do think that it would shine in a Recon-style endurance event that isn't about specifically crawling.

[DenisLM]

Yeti is for when you are bored to go slow in the rocks and want to go fast in a similar terrain.

[chipgibbs]

If you want a great crawler \ trail truck, try an AX10 Deadbolt. You get the 2.2 size and a real rock crawler chassis. You loose some of the scale realism but, there has to be a trade off. With the solid axles and an overdriven front, the ax10 will turn much sharper than any yeti. I have both and use the yeti more but if I was going to the rocks, I know which to take.

[SCREAMER]

Funny this question came up. I'm building a Yeti crawler as we speak. I'm using Twin Hammers length trailing arms from DLux and a locked front with underdriven rear. I think with a much shorter wheelbase, the Yeti is going to do great. It's going to be fun regardless and that's the real point to my build. I'll definitely be posting up my results after the first run.

[chipgibbs]

You should consider using putty in the front diff instead of a locker. The putty adds just enough cushion to prevent breaking even Vanquish front axles......Don't ask me how I know.

[Ahod39]

I think the base/bodypan is just too big to do any "real" technical crawling, if you wanted an IFS rig it would probably make more sense to build a Wrexo off of a Wraith platform. If you do want a good example of a dedicated Yeti crawler, check out Harley's build videos. He's raised his ride height, narrowed down the axle width a bit, and locked the front diff. I just think it's too much surface area for crawling, but the thing kills it for bashing/dirt hill climbs/backyard race tracks!